The invention relates to an apparatus for preparing a coffee beverage, comprising a housing comprising an interior space, a holder arranged for receiving a coffee container, such as for example a pouch made of filter material and filled with a coffee product to be extracted or a soluble coffee product or a capsule containing a coffee product to be extracted, a soluble coffee product or a liquid coffee or milk product, the holder comprising at least one outlet opening and an access opening for placing the coffee container, such as the pouch or capsule in the holder, the outlet opening being provided with at least one orifice for generating a coffee beverage flow when coffee beverage is fed to the outlet opening; a heating device for heating water; a liquid duct for supplying heated water from the heating device to the coffee container; wherein a liquid flow path extends between the orifice and at least one outflow opening of the apparatus for discharging the coffee beverage from the apparatus, a coffee outlet chamber being included in the liquid flow path, said coffee outlet chamber comprising a coffee beverage passage so that—in use—the coffee beverage flows through the coffee outlet chamber to the at least one outflow opening of the apparatus.
Such an apparatus is for example known from EP-A-0 904 718. In this known apparatus the outflow opening has such a small diameter that the coffee beverage spouts from the outflow opening for obtaining coffee with a small-bubble foam layer (café crème). Although this known apparatus is able to provide a café crème with excellent quality and taste the subjective impression of the user regarding the quality of the machine and the produced product respectively is not only influenced by the mechanical overall impression of the machine and the quality of the product prepared by it but also by the consumer or user experiencing the true aroma of the coffee beverage prepared.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for preparing a coffee beverage providing an improved impression of high quality coffee beverages by improving the dispense of coffee beverage aroma from the apparatus.